New York is where it started. Matt is a national thought leader in modern animal welfare, and his vision and commitment have catapulted the ASPCA into a leadership position advancing the fields evolution and national impact. Honest national organizations would strive to remediate donor ignorance, not aggressively exploit it. Great work. These comments that all these people are making against the CEO making a $852,000 as a total salary and compensation well, I agree with their comments. "The devil is in the details when one looks at spending," said Brian Mittendorf, the Fisher designated professor of accounting at The Ohio State University and a nonprofit tax expert. As of 2016, the ASPCA was founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh. Nobody answered and NOBODY EVER called me back. Bless your organization. And Matt Bershadker has perhaps the most mediocre record on actual behalf of animals of any ASPCA president in more than four decades. The ASPCA still vigorously promotes pit bull adoptions, but after several children were critically injured and even killed by pit bulls who had recently been rehomed after SAFER screening, the ASPCA in December 2015 quit certifying shelter workers trained to use the SAFER test. This was started by a man named Henry Bergh, who eventually went by the name of Matthew Bershadker. By providing my mobile number, I agree to receive 2-4 text messages per month from the ASPCA, which may include requests for charitable donations. Hello, SERIOUSLY, that is an UNMITIGATED DISGRACE if the head of the ASPCA gets that much money. So much of that money could go to help the animals instead of lining his pocket. As documented in our latest available filings and audited financial statements, 77 cents of every dollar reported as an expenditure on the ASPCA's 2019 Form 990 advances the ASPCA's mission through lifesaving programs and services around the country. Sharing widely to socials, with gratitude and utter disgust. The National Advertising Division, however, recommended that ASPCA modify its website to more clearly explain that the organization is not directly affiliated with local SPCAS or local humane associations, a National Advertising Division media release said. Axelrod, Towey, and Bailey introduced former ASPCA executive vice president Jo Sullivan, who helped to create the Sarah McLachlan commercials for the ASPCA. These days, Sullivan is the chief community and development officer at the Houston SPCA in Texas. And at that, the ASPCA adoption transport program in May 2019 had a disaster still inadequately acknowledged, let alone addressed in a transparent manner. In 2020, our ASPCA Shelter Medicine Services (SMS) team established the Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency Program, a New York City-based training program designed to provide intensive clinical training for licensed veterinarians interested in developing deep expertise in Shelter Medicine Practice, a very important and influential discipline weve supported for many years. You might also have seen our IRS Form 990 filings, posted annually. We each worked more than full-time in recent years for $9.71 an hour in wages and benefits, serving more than 593,000 readers and still ended up in the hole more years than not, because, unfortunately, not enough of those readers elected to make us one of their choices to get their eight bucks a month, or whatever, mostly not through any dissatisfaction with us or the work we do. 2020 990 form shows revenue of about 325 million and revenue minus expenses of 57 million, which is 17.5%. The founder, however, paid herself $72,000 a year, plus $36,000 a year to rent her property. No one was paid for overtime. I wish as of now, I would not get another piece of mail from the ASPCA. I do not need address labels or anything else. Bershadker also oversaw the kickoff of the ASPCA's multi-year, $25 million commitment to save the lives of animals in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The ASPCA is not an umbrella organization for local organizations with SPCA in their names a fact the ASPCA says donors know. Its a no win situation. Seeing the sad, lonely dogs is heartbreaking. Junk food for the consicence-ridden. Puppies & kittens everywhere, but none in shelters to adopt, $5 for a cat head: True stories of animal welfare, with hands-on tips for helping animals, How the ASPCA cooked 26 dogs in a truck: source comes forward, Humane Society of the U.S. & codefendants pay Ringling Bros. circus $15.75 million, Charity Navigator issues donor advisory about HSUS & coplaintiffs $15.7 million settlement with Ringling, https://tedxsantabarbara.com/2020/matthew-bershadker-pets-poverty-and-the-pandemic/, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aspca-spending-donor-cbs-news-investigation/. They have become just soulless, money-harvesting machines that specialize in sappy television commercials about how they just help animals and your contribution can save a life. Anyone who sends them a dime is just throwing their money away. They seem to exist almost exclusively for promoting pit bulls. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They do suffer, of course, and we wish we could offer more encouraging advice. A few days ago we happened to have occasion to look at the recently posted American SPCA filing of IRS Form 990 for 2020. Matthew's ethnicity is Native American, whose political affiliation is currently a registered Democrat; and religious views are listed as unknown. At the end of 2020, the ASPCA claimed more than $407 million in assets. Later, as the audience expanded enough to sustain independent media covering the rising animal advocacy cause in breadth and depth, I served as news editor of one of the periodicals that helped to bring it all together into a movement. Patti Mercer who runs the Houston SPCA says she believes that type of fundraising could be deceiving donors, when those canvassers are set up in communities, like hers, where the ASPCA doesn't offer local services. Years ago Matthew Bershadker, Bus '01 (MBA), visited an animal control facility that, like many, was underfunded and overwhelmed. Those line level staff are the reason for the success of the organization and the reason that so many donate what they can to care for those cats and dogs who are suffering and in such need. Harold J. Hovel, author of Helping Animals Means Helping People: From Hunting & Poaching to Climate Change & Nuclear War (2017), is chair of the New York State Humane Association. NOBODY!!! Why is the ASPCA stonewalling about the deaths of 20 dogs in transport? Matthew E. Bershadker was named president and CEO of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in May 2013 and serves on the Global Animal Partnership's Board of Directors. . WOW, what a salary! Working to support existing and future veterinarians is an exciting prospect that will help animal shelters immeasurably. Fostering has been particularly impactful during this anxious period. (Beth Clifton collage). It just doesnt make a lot of sense to give when the upper management is making that kind of money. Their job is to be excellent. "If the donors feel that there's an urgent need, and they must donate today so that they can meet that urgent need, and the organization isn't exhibiting that urgency, that's again, where a disconnect can cause a problem.". . Donation will be sent by my bank. No one running either organization now was involved. This is why we provided $5 million in grant funding to help shelter and rescue organizations cover operating and program expenses and receive capacity support. and advocating for animals through the political process. The song Arms of an Angel was originally released in the late 1990s and was meant as a tribute to a fellow musician who had died of a drug overdose. Although there has been speculation in the media that McConaughey is a Republican, he has never openly spoken about his political affiliations. HSUS paid over $11 million in the same case after a decade of misguided expensive legal wranglings. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Matthew Bershadker was named President and CEO of the ASPCA in June 2013. But maybe something can be done with more publicity on these matters. ), The ASPCA, meanwhile, just ahead of April Fools Day 2020, urged U.S. animal shelters to sidestep or seek suspension of requirements that dogs and cats be spayed or neutered before adoption, a measure that ANIMALS 24-7 suggested was likely to result in about half a million additional puppy and kitten litters nationwide during the coming puppy and kitten season.. In recognition of the ASPCA's 155th anniversary and the 20th work anniversary of our President and CEO, Matt Bershadker, we checked in with Matt to hear how he got involved in animal welfare and his thoughts on where the field is headed. We are not here to argue about what Matthew Bershadker is worth, or any other individualsbut if the top-paid individuals & organizations in animal advocacy are worth anything approaching $966,004 per year, surely we are worth a higher priority when eight-dollar-a-month donors have to choose which animal charities to help. Bermuda, and Ireland. About 40 miles away from the ASPCA's headquarters in Manhattan, Gary Rogers is the president of the Nassau County SPCA, a local charity that fosters animals, investigates abuse and rescues animals in danger. The focal issue, however, for Axelrod, Towey, and Bailey of CBS, was that ASPCA fundraising pitches allegedly mislead donors into mistakenly believing that the ASPCA is the fundraising umbrella for all 303 U.S. animal charities incorporated as Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. CBS News spoke to more than two dozen local SPCA's across the country. I try to re-home horses when I can afford to keeping them from slaughter. By moving homeless animals from places of low demand to locations with high demand, we reduce the overcrowding that can lead to tragic and unnecessary outcomes. Throughout his leadership, Matt has set the strategy for the organization and overseen the development and execution of innovative programs that impact thousands of lives and drive compassionate systemic change for animals in need. Most, like in Nassau County and Houston, had gotten nothing. The Centers Learning Lab also disseminates rehabilitative innovations and best practices to shelters around the country. Of course it was to a recording machine. How the ASPCA cooked 26 dogs in a truck: source comes forward. Message and data rates may apply. Then I founded and for 22 years edited a newspaper that took the message globaland, along the way, reached thousands of fellow journalists in hundreds of newsrooms, inspiring many of them to begin doing serious coverage of animal issues too. These are pure white birds. We wish him the very best. Seems far better to donate to local organizations and other large organizations that are verified to spend most of the money helping animals. We receive no moneyfrom them at all., Emphasized Axelrod, The ASPCA is not an umbrella organization for localorganizations with SPCA in their names a fact the ASPCAsays donors know. (See COVID-19: India feeds stray dogs; ASPCA says dont fix them. "The major problems that most SPCAs have is that the ASPCA does not fund these agencies," Rogers told CBS News chief investigative correspondent Jim Axelrod. Thats what you get from ANIMALS 24-7, in our unique dual role of watchdogging and reporting the news about animal protection & advocacy from a caring perspective, informed by decades of experience on animal-related news beats. Herself $ 72,000 a year to rent her property in more than $ 407 million in assets organizations other. 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